The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its report yesterday regarding the allision* between the Carnival Pride and the pier and passenger walkway in Baltimore last year.

On May 8, 2016, the Carnival Pride was attempting to dock at the cruise terminal in Baltimore, Maryland, when the ship's bow struck the pier and an elevated passenger walkway on shore, causing over $2,000,000 in damages.

The Carnival cruise ship was returning from a cruise to the Bahamas. It had previously taken on a pilot while it was in U.S. inland waters.

The staff captain later took the helm and was navigating the Pride to the terminal. As the ship approached the pier, the angle of approach was too steep and the speed was too fast.

The captain took control of the ship from the staff captain and applied full thrust away from the berth to slow the ship but not before the bow struck the pier support columns.

The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the crash was the staff captain’s errors during the docking maneuver (approaching the pier with excessive speed and at too steep of an angle) and the captain’s insufficient oversight.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a passenger from a Carnival cruise ship yesterday.

The Coast Guard medevaced a 72-year-old woman Saturday from the Carnival Pride which was approximately 50 miles east of Savannah, Georgia.

The Carnival ship notified the Coast Guard station in Charleston around noon that the woman was experiencing pneumonia but was not reacting to medical treatment. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Savannah medevaced the woman an hour and one-half later and transported her to Savannah Memorial Hospital shortly after 2:30 p.m.

MIAMI -- At approximately 1.15am this morning, the Carnival Pride experienced a mechanical failure of one of its diesel generators which triggered the automated fire suppression system. It is unclear as to whether there was an actual fire and the matter is presently under investigation. At no time did the ship lose power and the vessel is currently continuing on its itinerary which involves a seven-day cruise from Baltimore that departed Sunday. The ship is currently in Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas for its regularly scheduled port visit there. There were no injuries to guests or crew and all safety, hotel and other operational systems are fully functional.

Carnival subsequently added the followng statement:

"CCTV footage has confirmed that there was not an actual fire, only smoke."

The United States Coast Guard is reporting that it last night it medevaced a 77 year old female cruise ship passenger suffering from a stroke approximately 200 miles east of Wilmington, North Carolina.

The ill woman was on the Carnival Pride.

The Coast Guard air crew arrived on the scene at at sea on scene and hoisted the passenger, a family member and a nurse from the cruise ship into a MH-60 helicopter at about 7:30 p.m.

The helicopter flew the woman to the Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, arriving at about 9 p.m.

Well today I agree with that expression after watching a nine minute video that a former crew member sent me.

Earlier today I posted two videos showing the Carnival Pride experiencing rough weather back on November 5, 2011. High waves crash over the bow which resulted in a window being blown in and a children's play area (Circle C) being flooded. Water enters the area at high speed covering all of the walls and ceiling and dousing the televisions and electrical equipment.

The video below is a continuation of those videos. It shows the kid's area flooded. One of the televisions on the wall begins to short circuit. There are about 5 minutes of the television sparking, smoldering and emitting black smoke until a fire erupts.

A crew member eventually shows up two and one-half minutes later. He kneels down and tries to splash water onto the burning television. Bad idea. It also looks like he tries to pull the television off of the wall.

A couple of crew members then quickly enter the area and put the fire out with fire extinguishers.

I never could have imagined that just a few minutes after Circle C was flooded, a fire would break out there from a television. I would not have believed it unless I saw the video.

The Carnival Pride was heading to port in Baltimore when it encountered the rough weather.

It's unusual to see photographs or videos of floods or fires on cruise ships. Cruise lines don't release images from their surveillance cameras to the public. Thanks to the former crew who sent us these images.

"Our professional and courteous staff makes sure your experience is unforgettable. Many of our guides have been diving these waters for years and have an astounding knowledge of the reef and dive sites. Our divemasters take care of all the details to ensure your time with Oasis Divers is everything you’ve dreamed of in a dive shop. From setting up your equipment each day to detailed dive site descriptions and briefings, Oasis Divers prides itself on our fantastic team. We dive in small groups and guarantee personalized service from your divemaster."

According to Cruise Critic, the young man went into the water in a group of 16 divers with only 2 instructors in the water. If the Cruise Critic information is correct, a ratio of 8 divers to 1 instructor is grossly insufficient and probably constitutes criminal malfeasance - particularly if there are new or inexperienced divers.

The young cruise passenger was treated at a local hospital and then flown to the U.S. where he died at a hospital.

The police report also mentions two recent snorkeling deaths on the island, including a 80 year old tourist and and a 62 year old described as a cruise passenger.

A scuba message board discusses these cases and suggests that Carnival and Holland America Cruise Lines suspended their contracts with the diving excursion company.

The United States Coast Guard has been busy rescuing ill passengers from cruise ships over the past week.

Today a newspaper in North Carolina reports that a Coast Guard helicopter medevaced a 49 year old woman from the Carnival Pride cruise ship. The ship was near Virginia at the time of the emergency medical evacuation. The medical condition of the passenger was not disclosed.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, launched to assist, hoisted the woman and ship’s nurse and took them to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk.

Yesterday, the Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter from Belle Chase (near New Orleans) into the Gulf of Mexico to rescue a man aboard Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas cruise ship. According to a newspaper in New Orleans, a MH-65C helicopter flew 132 miles into the Gulf to medevac the passenger who was experiencing stroke-like symptoms. The Coast Guard then transferred the passenger to Touro Infirmary in New Orleans.

Last week, the Coast Guard medevaced a man from the Crown Princess, operated by Princess Cruises. I don't have any information about this medevac. Does anyone have any information about this event or the other two medevacs?

A video of the Crown Princess rescue (credit tigertran01/youtube) is below.

A Federal District Court Judge recently awarded a verdict in favor of a cruise passenger who was seriously injured in a slip and fall accident during a cruise aboard a Carnival cruise ship.

The passenger, Ms. Denise Kaba, reportedly slipped and fell on the deck around a pool on the Carnival Pride cruise ship in August, 2009. She sustained a fractured knee cap and which resulted in six surgeries and the need for surgery (knee replacement) in the future.

Her theory of liability was that the pool deck was covered with a resin surface which was slippery as ice. Carnival had notice of prior accidents on this type of dangerous surface.

Carnival admitted liability for the accident. The case was tried before the Court (without a jury) solely on the issue of damages.

The Baltimore Sun reports on the death of a 71 year old passenger from Reisterstown, Maryland , Carol Olson, during a snorkeling excursion in the Bahamas. Ms. Olson was a passenger on Carnival's Pride cruise ship and booked the excursion from the cruise line.

Other passengers described having problems with the current. The excursion was described as poorly managed with no one from the excursion boat in the water assisting the snorkelers.

The Baltimore Sun has an informative article which summarizes the dangers of cruise excursion and the pitfalls which Americans face if they lose a loved one during a cruise or an excursion sold by the cruise line. The article is entitled "Cruise Passengers Describe Fatal Snorkel Tour."

Carnival's PR spokesperson Jennifer de la Cruz refused to provide any information to the Baltimore Sun, but released a statement stating in part:

"This was an extremely unusual and tragic situation and we … have suspended the tour and will be taking a close look at the details surrounding what transpired."

The problem is that Carnival will never reveal the results of their investigation to the public or even Ms. Olson's family.

The situation is governed by the Death On The High Seas Act, which we have discussed in prior articles. Most passengers do not realize that the recoverable compensation for retired passengers involving maritime deaths outside U.S. waters is limited to funeral / burial expenses. Carnival collects approximately 12 billion dollars a year in cruise and excursion sales and pays no Federal income tax. But it is protected from responsibility because of DOHSA. Without financial accountability, there is no incentive for companies like Carnival to invest into making certain that their passengers are reasonably safe during excursions like this.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements. Before you make this important decision, ask us to send you written information about our qualifications and experience.